(shared bylines)
JOHOR BARU: Gelang Patah is in the grip of election fever over the prospect of Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman facing DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang.
The clash of the two political veterans a fiery opposition icon and a mild-mannered mentri besar, would make the constituency the epicentre of the 13th general election battle.
Gelang Patah has evolved from a sleepy hollow into a vibrant urban hub with numerous Iskandar Malaysia development projects.
Last night, Lim announced that he will take on Abdul Ghani for the Gelang Patah seat.
“I have decided to contest in Gelang Patah, not for myself or DAP, but for the people and the country.
“Let the people decide. If Abdul Ghani wants to come, I will not back off, we are not kia si (afraid to lose) or kia su (afraid to die or lose political career),” he said at a DAP ceramah in Batu Pahat last night.
Abdul Ghani, who is believed to be keen to take on the DAP adviser, has remained coy on the question.
“No, no, wait,” the four-term state assemblyman for Serom said when asked about the matter at Sengkang, Bukit Gambir, yesterday.
Although the Barisan Nasional MP is MCA's Tan Ah Eng, party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has not ruled out the possibility of Abdul Ghani as the candidate for Gelang Patah.
Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Sivamurugansaid Abdul Ghani had more advantage over Lim in Gelang Patah, but the sentiment of new voters was still unknown.
He said the mentri besar had garnered much support in the state through the years while the DAP adviser was being parachuted from Ipoh Timur.
According to an analysis carried by pro-opposition news portal Malaysiakini, Abdul Ghani's likely candidacy has put the DAP's campaign team on red alert because of the potential loss of crucial Malay votes.
The report, headlined “Ghani counterstrike could paralyse Kit Siang”, contended that with 52% and 12% of Chinese and Indian voters, respectively, DAP was at first confident that getting a majority of these votes and less than half of the 34% Malay votes would help Lim win the seat.
It noted that many Chinese Johoreans saw Abdul Ghani as a moderate and humble Umno leader and that the recent property boom in Iskandar had won him some applause, adding that if he could secure 85 % of the Malay votes, DAP would have to win 80% of Chinese votes and 40% of Indian votes to defeat the mentri besar with a thin majority of 1.5%.
■ For more election stories, please visit The Star's GE13 site
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